Unexpected Wishes
by sailorvsredmask
Summary: 24 year old Chiba Mamoru has been alone as long as he can remember. Convinced by two of his closest friends to make a birthday wish, Mamoru wakes up the next morning to an unexpected surprise. It becomes clear pretty quickly to this surprise is actually his birthday wish. Just not in a way Mamoru ever expected. AU UsaMamo fluff. ON HIATUS
1. Of 24th Birthdays and Wishes

**A/N:** Hello all! I know it's been awhile been here's another quick story that I thought up the other day at work with the help of a writing prompt I found on tumblr. I don't know how often I'll be able to update due to my super busy schedule and the fact that I have some sort of social life now, which I totally did not have a month ago. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this and remember, reviews are greatly appreciated!

 **Prompt:** _A wish you made when you blew out your birthday candles comes true. Just not in the way you expected._

 **Summary:** _24 year old Chiba Mamoru has been alone as long as he can remember. Convinced by two of his closest friends to make a birthday wish, Mamoru wakes up the next morning to an unexpected surprise. It becomes clear pretty quickly to this surprise is actually his birthday wish. Just not in a way Mamoru ever expected. AU UsaMamo fluff._

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

 **Of 24th Birthdays and Wishes**

* * *

The third of August was a day Chiba Mamoru dreaded. He usually preferred to spend the day alone, pretending as if it were any other day in the world. Over the years, the man had actually convinced himself that it was in fact, _any other day._ So, it really was a surprise when he came home from work and two of his closest friends popped confetti and presented him with a cake.

"Happy Birthday, Chiba!" His blonde haired friend said to him with enthusiasm, giving him a hearty clap on the back.

Mamoru couldn't help but groan. As much as he loved Motoki and Reika, he couldn't help but wish them away. He shut his eyes tight, as if he were a child and hoped that when he opened them, they would magically disappear. Though, to no avail did his childish antics work as he was immediately pulled out of his hopeful wishing at the sound of Reika's voice.

"Hiya, Mamoru! We brought you a cake! And we certainly couldn't let you spend _another_ birthday alone." The brunette woman cheered at him before placing an affectionate kiss on his right cheek.

"You know, we could always ask Saori over," Motoko began with a devilish smirk on his usually friendly face, a hint of mischief in his green eyes.

Mamoru grumbled something about the woman only being a classmate as he escaped to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. Today had been particularly long and exhausting for Mamoru. Not only did he have a large class load on Tuesdays, he had just gotten out of a mandatory lab which had been four hours long. The last thing he wanted to do was celebrate his 24th birthday.

As the dark-haired man reappeared from the kitchen and into his living room where his two closest friends sat, waiting for him. He knew deep down he couldn't kick the couple out, it would break their hearts if he did.

"I'm just going to go change, okay?" He stated before retreating to his bedroom and changing from his dress clothes and into a black form fitting t-shirt and black jeans.

When Mamoru returned, both Reika and Motoki were seated in front of his coffee table, party hats sitting lopsided on each of their heads.

"C'mon on out, Mamoru. Let's have some cake and play a few rounds of _Sailor V_ or something." Reika suggested before heading towards Mamoru's kitchen for plates, silverware, a large knife and a lighter.

"Uh, Reika, I don't have the _Sailor V_ game but I do have _Mario Kart_. We could play that instead." Mamoru shouted towards Reika in the kitchen. He had long abandoned the thought of spending his birthday day alone. In fact, it was nice to be in the company of his closest friends. He really shouldn't be complaining, he was lucky enough to have friends who actually cared.

"So Mamoru, about this whole thing where you're perpetually single," Motoki began, shooting his best friend a pointed look. "I've been thinking and I think I have the perfect girl I can set you up on a blind date with."

Tolerating his friends on his birthday Mamoru could do. But Motoki setting him up on a blind date with some ditz he probably knew from the arcade? Not something Mamoru particularly wanted to do or really even think about.

Mamoru really didn't believe in love. Love was a strange thing he had never felt for somebody. Growing up completely alone, Mamoru also never felt what it was like to be loved. In result, the 24 year old man had no concept of the foreign feeling or just exactly the power it held.

Mamoru brought his hand to the back of his neck, a nervous habit he had. "Really Motoki, I'm not interested in dating right now, I have to focus on Med-School."

"She's a spit-fire!" Reika shouted from Mamoru's kitchen. Naturally siding with her blonde fiancé on the matter. "A real leggy one too!" The woman added as she entered the living room with all the supplies the three needed to eat Mamoru's birthday cake.

"She's an undergrad student, really long black hair. And like Reika said, she's leggy." Motoki reiterated in hopes of changing his dark-haired friend's mind.

"Guys, as much as I appreciate you looking out for me. I really am in no spot to date somebody right now. Or really ever at that." Mamoru said in a slightly annoyed voice. He didn't understand why he had to tell the duo 'no' to the whole situation for the second time. It was almost as if the two thought the mystery woman's looks would change his mind.

"We're sorry Mamoru, we really shouldn't have pushed it. It's just that we worry about you." Reika apologized, her eyes holding an almost maternal look directed towards the man as she shoved a single candle into the cake.

The cake was small and quite simple. Though it was decorated beautifully. It was a chocolate cake frosted with white frosting, colorful banners adorned the sides. "Happy Birthday, Mamoru" piped on top expertly with blue frosting. Next to his name was a strange little blue bunny. Mamoru shrugged it off to be a mistake either made by the pastry chef or a decoration that was on the cake before his name had been piped on.

"We got the cake from the cutest little bakery not too far from here. Two girls that used to stop by the arcade when they were younger own it. One does all the baking and the other does all the decorating. It was just so cute Motoki and I had to get you _something_ from there." Reika gushed as she lit the candle on the cake.

The two then began to sing happy birthday and Mamoru couldn't help the blush of embarrassment that rose to his cheeks as his two closest friends serenaded him.

"Come on now Mamoru, make a wish!" Reika cheered once the two finished the near childlike singing.

Mamoru couldn't help but roll his eyes at the thought of a wish. There was something so childlike and almost magical about a birthday wish. Deciding not to argue with his two friends on the matter he complied. And as Chiba Mamoru blew out his single birthday candle he made a wish.

He wished that he _wasn't so lonely anymore._

It was something Mamoru had been secretly wishing since he was a child. It was a shot in the dark as the man preferred to be by himself. He liked solitude and he liked that he only had a few friends. It was true he was not ready to be in a relationship at that moment but something inside him, the little boy he used to be inside of him wished that things just weren't as lonely as they had always been.

As soon as Mamoru blew his candles out, Reika and Motoki popped confetti at him. In that moment things didn't seem as lonely as they usually were, surrounded by his two closest friends. But Mamoru knew deep down, as soon as he left things would go back to how they had always been.

"So, what did you wish for?" Motoki asked, his face full of curiosity.

The question earned Motoki a sharp slap on the forearm for his fiancé. "Don't ask him that! If he tells you it won't come true!" The woman said, scowling at her counterpart.

"Ow, fine! But you didn't have to hit me, ya know." Motoki whined, rubbing his arm as Reika continued cutting the small cake.

Mamoru couldn't help but let out a chuckle at the situation in front of him. It was strange how the two interacted. They had only been engaged three months and the two already acted like a married couple.

"So, we thought we would tell you that we set a date for the wedding," Reika began as she set a plate of cake down in front of Mamoru.

Mamoru's eyebrows shot up in confusion and he couldn't help but give Motoki a confused glance. His blonde friend only shot him a sheepish grin as he turned on Mamoru's game console.

The conversation was immediately dropped at the sound of Mamoru's old SNES game console powering on.

The trio sat for hours and before Mamoru knew it, it was nearly 2 am.

"One more round, yeah?" Motoki asked his fiance and his best friend.

"Yeah, probably a good idea, it is getting really late." Reika replied to her fiance before rubbing her eyes sleepily.

Mamoru didn't mind that the two were planning to leave. Tomorrow was Wednesday after all. He was surprised that the two had even stayed passed midnight. Though, nights like this reminded Mamoru of their early days of University. It was nice.

They finished their final round fifteen minutes later, as the round was in fact three games. Motoki winning as he had been most of the night, thanks to the many years he had spent in the arcade.

The two helped Mamoru clean up a bit before each of them pulled him into a snug hug.

"Happy Birthday, Mamoru. Don't forget about that wish, okay?" Reika said with a wink before placing a kiss on his cheek.

"And I'll see you tomorrow morning for coffee, Chiba?" Motoki asked quizzically before clapping his ebony-haired friend on the back.

"Of course," Mamoru replied, shooting a grateful smile at the two. "And thank you guys for tonight, really." He added, whilst following the two to his front door.

With that, the three said their goodbyes and Chiba Mamoru was alone, yet again.

With a sigh, the man decided to jump in the shower before heading off to bed.

It wasn't until the man was out of the shower and padding towards his bedroom when he realized something was off.

It wasn't so much that something was off, as everything seemed normal as Mamoru cautiously walked towards his bedroom. It was more as if the man felt as if he wasn't quite alone. Call him crazy, but Chiba Mamoru knew when he was alone.

As Mamoru moved closer to his bedroom, clad only in a dark grey towel, he ignored the feeling of somebody else's presence and dismissed it as if he was crazy or even imagining things.

Of course there was nobody in his apartment. The dark-haired man thought to himself bitterly. He _knew_ that there was nobody in his apartment. He shook the thought away before dropping his towel and pulling on only a pair of black boxer-briefs.

Instead of taking care of his towel as Mamoru usual would do, he instead lazily dropped into his bed and almost immediately fell into a blissful sleep.

When Mamoru awoke a measly five hours later to the sound of his alarm, he felt warmer than he usually did in mornings. The feeling was so blissful that he didn't slam the alarm as he usually did and immediately roll out of bed. No, instead he decided to lazily lounge for an additional five minutes.

"Mamo, turn the alarm off," a small voice said from his right side.

And that, that right there was all Mamoru needed to go flying out of his large bed and on to his bedroom floor.

There was somebody in his bed. There was a girl in his bed and when he went to sleep last night, he was alone. _There was somebody in his bed._

" _Mamoru."_ The voice repeated in a slightly agitated manner.

 _Don't look up. Don't look up. Don't look up._ The 24 year old man chanted to himself, slightly terrified.

As Mamoru stared down at the floor, completely frozen, he heard a slight russling coming from his bed.

"C'mon Mamo, it's time to get up. You have class at 10 and I know that you don't want to miss it. Here, I'll even get the coffee started!" The voice cheered towards him. He could hear her feet hit the floor and he willed himself to bring his eyes up. Just catching her small feet skitter out of the door.

Her toenails were painted purple.

When Mamoru was sure that she was out of the room he finally pulled himself off the floor. The strangest thing happened when he opened his closet door. Chiba Mamoru was not only greeted by his own clothes but also a closet full of female clothes.

 _Oh this is not happening, this really is not happening._ The man thought to himself before pulling out a clean black t-shirt and his lavender pleated jeans.

 _When I walk out there, she is going to be gone. I am just going crazy, this is not at all real._ Mamoru thought to himself before taking a deep breath and walking out of his bedroom.

As Mamoru made his was towards the kitchen, his senses were immediately overwhelmed by the smell of coffee.

Mamoru swore his heart stopped when he spotted a blonde, _wearing one of his black shirts_ sitting at _his_ breakfast bar. A cup of coffee in her own dainty hands and one next to her, a newspaper sitting in front of it.

Mamoru _swore_ he was having a heart attack when the _strikingly_ beautiful woman hopped off the barstool and threw her small body at his much larger one before rising on her tiptoes and planting a huge kiss on his lips.

"Good morning, Mamo!" The blonde bubbled at him brightly.

The man swore that he was a fish on land. He had to be going crazy, that was the only possible explanation to what was going on right now.

It wasn't until Mamoru reluctantly sat next to the strange blonde and took a sip of his coffee that he knew for sure he was crazy. He practically flew out of his apartment and towards the arcade at the sight of the _wedding band_ on his left ring finger.


	2. Of Panic and Confusion

**A/N:** All I have to say is wow! The feedback that you all have given me on my last chapter was absolutely tremendous and I want to give you all a HUGE thank you! It really means a lot to me when you guys leave reviews, I really love reading what you guys have to say. If I'm honest with you all, this chapter was a bit harder for me to bust out as I had a 5,000 word goal but only ended up with a little over 3,600 words as I felt that the place I ended it was the perfect place to end. Again, I wanted to thank you all for reading, reviewing, favouriting and following this story! I really appreciate it a lot and can't wait to hear what you all have to say about this chapter. Anyways, I'll stop rambling and let you all read this. I'm planning on having the next chapter out by this weekend, don't want to make you all wait too long. Anyways like I said earlier, thank you all again and I hope you enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

 **Of Panic and Confusion**

* * *

It was pretty clear to Motoki that something was clearly wrong with Mamoru. For one, the man was skipping class and two, his hair was more mused than usual.

"Motoki, I think I'm going crazy," the dark-haired man finally said, after having sitting at the arcade counter dead silent for the past 30 minutes. Motoki just quirked an eyebrow at his friend, awaiting the medical student's explanation.

"I mean for one, I think I have amnesia. Because I for sure do not remember ever getting married." Mamoru continued, holding his left hand up and pointing at a silver wedding band that sat on his fourth finger.

"Can you tell me what we did for my birthday last night, just to make sure I'm not going crazy?"

At this, Motoki knew for sure that there was something wrong with his friend. There were about 10 questions buzzing through the blonde-haired man's head but he decided it would be best if he let his ebony-haired friend continue his frazzled rant.

"I got home from lab and you and Reika were waiting for me in my flat, right?" Mamoru asked Motoki, his deep blue eyes swimming with confusion.

Motoki slowly nodded his head. Though, now that he thought about it, something was off.

"And then we had cake, did all the birthday blah blah blah, played _Mario Kart_ and then you guys left." Mamoru confirmed.

"Yeah, that's how I remember it…" Motoki began, trailing off. "But wasn't Usagi there?" Motoki asked, just as confused as Mamoru was.

If the blonde remembered correctly it really was just himself, Reika and Mamoru. But the harder the arcade owner thought about last night, the more prevalent nagging thing in the back of his mind told him that Usagi was there. Whoever Usagi was, that is.

"What do you mean Usagi was there? I don't even know who Usagi is!" Mamoru roared in confusion, throwing his arms up in the air.

Motoki himself wasn't quite sure who Usagi was but there was a nagging feeling in the back of his head telling him that whoever this Usagi character was, she was there for Mamoru's impromptu birthday celebration.

"Motoki," Mamoru said desperately, leaning over the counter and gripping the collar of Motoki's light blue dress shirt. "I need you to call Reika and ask her what happened last night. We need to figure this out." The medical student pleaded and all Motoki could do was nod his head, his blonde hair flopping as he ran towards the back to grab his cell phone.

Reika picked up after two rings, "Hey 'Toki, is everything okay?" His fiance greeted, slightly concerned as Motoki never called her at work.

"I need you to come to the arcade, we're having a crisis." And with that, Motoki immediately ended the call and the two men awaited for the reddish-brunette woman to arrive.

It didn't take long for Reika to arrive. In fact, she was there within five minutes having conveniently been in the area meeting one of her friends for coffee. So as the woman came bursting through the arcade doors thinking there was some sort of emergency, they couldn't help but be relieved that there was somebody sane within their vicinity.

"Oh Reiki, thank Kami you're here," Motoki said breathlessly before pulling his fiance in for a hug.

"What in the world is going on where you needed me to come in so badly?" The woman asked after pulling out of the hug, her hands on her hips.

"Well you see, Mamoru and I are possibly going crazy," Motoki began to explain sheepishly, rubbing his hand on the back of his neck. Reika quirked her eyebrow and gave the two men a pointed look each, waiting for one of the to continue explaining the situation.

"Can you tell us what we did last night?" Mamoru asked, a desperate look in his usually stoic eyes.

"You two were both there, we all know what we did for Mamoru's birthday last night," Reika replied.

"Yeah, but we need to know what you know, our stories need to match up." Motoki replied, a slightly confused look on his face.

"Oh uh well, I guess," Reika began, not sure what the two men were up to. "Motoki and I went to your flat to surprise you after class, we used the spare you gave Motoki. Then you came home, we ate cake and played _Mario Kart."_ The woman confirmed. Though after confirming what they had done, she felt as if something was missing.

"It was just us three, right" Mamoru and Motoki asked in unison.

"Well, now that I think of it, wasn't… Usagi there?" Reika was sure that it was just the three of them, but something at the back of her mind, like Motoki's told her that somebody named Usagi was also there.

In fact, she wasn't sure they used Motoki's spare key to enter Mamoru's flat, it may have been Usagi that had let them in. The two versions of Mamoru's birthday celebration were fuzzy in Reika's head.

"Yeah, but who is Usagi? And how come you two remember her being there and I don't?" Mamoru asked his two friends, who were just as confused as he was.

"I'm not really sure who Usagi is," Reika began, trying to figure just what was happening between the three of them. "But when I think about our little get together last night, part of my mind tells me it was just us three." Reika paused, looking between the two men. "And then there's another part, somewhere in the back of my mind that tells me Usagi was there." She finished before pausing to look at her fiance for some sort of confirmation.

"That sounds about right." Motoki replied in confirmation, nodding his head enthusiastically.

"As great as that is you two, it really isn't much help." Mamoru sighed in frustration before letting his head drop on to the counter, leaving a hard clank in its wake.

"Well," Motoki began before shooting Reika a look. It was obvious the two were having some sort of silent conversation. It was something the pair did often and if Mamoru was completely honest, it sort of freaked him out.

"You could go right to the source," the blonde continued before shrugging his shoulders.

"Motoki that is brilliant!" Mamoru exclaimed before slapping some money down on the counter to pay for his coffee and dashing out of the door.

When Mamoru arrived back to his flat, he arrived to a sight he wasn't quite expecting. The flat seemed to be completely _empty._

"I'm home," Mamoru shouted out to nobody in particular.

It wasn't until the man was in the living room that he heard a sound coming from his bathroom.

"M-M-Mamoru? Is that y-you?" A voice hiccuped from the other side of the bathroom door.

"Uh, yeah," the dark-haired man replied before knocking softly on the bathroom door. "Can I come in? I think we need to talk." He asked softly, trying not to spook the young woman.

"Y-yeah, you can come in." She replied between soft sobs.

Mamoru slowly opened the bathroom door, revealing the small blonde woman. Though the sight of her was not quite something he was expecting as she was sitting in his tub, completely naked, her knees pulled up to her chest.

"Y-you're naked," Mamoru sputtered, quickly backing out of the bathroom and away from who he assumed was his now _wife._

At his reaction Usagi let a small bubble giggle out, tears still streaming down her face.

"Well of course I'm naked, Mamo, I'm in the bath." She exclaimed, her sapphire eyes shining.

"Er, well, yeah, I'll let you get back to that. Th-then we can have our conversation," Mamoru gasped out nervously before making a mad dash towards his bedroom.

It took Usagi 15 minutes in total to get out of the bath and change before the two were sitting on his sectional comfortably.

"So Mamoru, what was it that you wanted to talk to me about? Did I do something wrong?" The small blonde woman asked softly.

"No, of course not. I just wanted to ask you a few things that may seem odd."

"Oh, okay. I just thought that since you didn't say much this morning and ran out of the house without saying goodbye that maybe I hadn't done something right." The blonde said, looking as if she were on the brink of tears.

"My 24th birthday was yesterday, can you tell me what _we_ did when I came home after class?" Mamoru asked, shooting the woman sitting next to him an unsure look.

"Oh!" The woman exclaimed excitedly. "Well, I invited Motoki and Reika over and they got cake from our favourite bakery, the one that Mako owns now, the one that we met at when I was in high school," She began, her blue eyes twinkling with something Mamoru could not quite place.

"And then once you came home, you were so happy to see all of us, even though celebrating your birthday was the last thing you wanted to do. Which I understand, you were in class all day, then you had lab," she paused before giving Mamoru a small smile.

"Then we did cake, which was chocolate, your favourite. And then we played _Mario Kart_ until like 2 AM. After Reika and Motoki left," She paused and shot Mamoru another strange look that made her eyes twinkle while giggling. "We….you know….before going to bed."

"We didn't have anything to drink, it really is strange that you don't remember, Mamo." She continued before placing a small hand on his forehead. "Are you sure you aren't sick?" She asked, concern written all over her _beautiful_ face.

"I-I-I'm fine Usagi," Mamoru sputtered at her previous suggestion and then her suddenly close proximity.

"I'm just concerned, Mamo," Usagi began, scooting closer to Mamoru. "It's your last year of medical school before your internship starts and you're skipping class." She continued, her eyebrows furrowed in concern.

"Heh, I guess you're right Usagi." Mamrou said quickly before standing up and slowly backing away towards his bedroom. "I'm not feeling very well, I think that I'm going to get a bit of rest."

"Oh, okay. You go get some rest, I need to stop by the grocery store anyways. Once primary school starts back up next week it's going to be very busy so I guess I better stock the fridge up now," The blonde said before gathering her purse and swiping a shopping list off the fridge.

"You go get some rest, okay?" The woman said to a very statuelike Mamoru. "I'll be back in a little over an hour, love you!" She quickly added before lifting herself up on her tiptoes and planting a chaste kiss on Mamoru's lips.

* * *

It didn't take long for Mamoru to dash out of the doors once he was sure his apparent wife was gone. Things had been getting stranger and Mamoru was sure that Usagi had a some sort of suspicion about the way he was acting.

The thing was that Mamoru wasn't really acting any sort of way at all. Well, anyway that wasn't unusual pending the circumstances he was in. In his own opinion he thought that he was handling the situation pretty well.

Though it seemed that Mamoru's luck on sneaking out of his own flat was cut short as he collided into Usagi on his way to Crown Arcade, bags flying out of her hands, the blonde landed straight on Mamoru.

"Oh! I am so sorry sir! You'll have to forgive me, I am huge clutz," Usagi sputtered, not even looking up to see just who exactly she collided with before dropping into a low bow.

Mamoru couldn't help the chuckle that escaped from his lips before he pushed himself off the ground and offered a hand to a frazzled Usagi. "S'alright Usagi, it's just me."

"It's _Usako,"_ the blonde muttered under her breath.

"What was that, Usagi?" The dark-haired man asked the woman in front of him, completely confused.

"Ha heh, nothing Mamo" Usagi said before beginning to pick up the content of the grocery bags off the sidewalk.

It wasn't until the two were finished that the blonde realized something was up.

"Wait," Usagi said all of a sudden, narrowing her sapphire eyes at Mamoru. "I thought you were sick and were going to lay down. What are you doing out here on the street, in front of," she paused for a second to actually take a look at their surroundings. "In front of _Crown Arcade?"_ She finished suspiciously, shooting Mamoru a look that he swore could kill him.

"Heh, about that Usagi. I uhh… actually had to talk to Motoki about something," Mamoru quickly told his apparent wife nervously, deciding that it would be an absolutely terrible decision to lie to the woman in front of him.

"Hmm, I guess Mamo. But don't be out too long, I don't want you to catch a fever. Also, dinner will be ready within the next hour and a half!" The woman supplied before placing yet _another_ kiss on his lips before bounding back to his flat with her bags of groceries.

* * *

"You know Mamoru, the more that I think about Usagi, the more that I remember her." The blonde man finally said, shooting his friend a sympathetic look. "Somehow she's begun appearing in nearly every memory you, Reika and I have together. It's strange but the same thing is also happening to Reika. It's almost as if our memories are being altered to show that she's been here the whole time. Reika thinks that it won't be before long that we forget all of our original memories and only remember the ones that she is in."

Mamoru was frustrated. He wasn't sure what was going on or how exactly this happened but he was sure there was no way to get out of it. It was seeming more and more like he would be stuck in this life.

Then there was Usagi, she was clearly catching on to the fact that there was something up with Mamoru. And he wasn't sure how he was going to explain the situation to her without upsetting her. Upsetting his newly found wife was not something Mamoru particularly wanted to do seeing as he unintentionally upset her earlier in the morning, causing her to lock herself in his bathroom and cry.

It was clear that she held memories that Mamoru did not yet hold and would probably never share with her due to the bizarreness of the situation. It was becoming apparent that he couldn't hide the situation with her so he decided it would be best to discuss it with her tomorrow morning before class.

"I mean I guess I should share what's going on with her, maybe she could provide some insight," Mamoru told Motoki in an unsure manner.

"Yeah, maybe you're right Mamoru. And if you need any help you could always call Reika and myself over," the blonde man suggested as he slid Mamoru a fresh cup of coffee.

"I think that might help Motoki, I'm just afraid of upsetting he because she has all of these memories of us and well, I don't have anything to go off of."

"You'll figure it out Mamoru, you always do." And with those words of encouragement from his best friend, Mamoru drained the rest of his coffee and made his way home.

When Mamoru entered his eleventh story flat he was instantly greeted by the smell of cooking and something slightly burning.

"Uh, Usagi? Is everything okay in there?" Mamoru called out as he slipped his shoes off and his house slippers on.

Mamoru didn't know Usagi very well yet but he had a strange feeling that told him that things around her weren't usually quiet and the fact that it was so quiet slightly concerned him.

"Usagi?" He called out again before entering the kitchen which was a disaster zone and hurricane Usagi was in the middle of it.

"Oh! Welcome home Mamo! I didn't even hear you come in, I must of been too immersed in cooking." The blonde said, obviously surprised.

"Would you like some help?" The dark-haired man offered. There was something inside of him that also told him that she didn't cook much and he was the one that did. He wasn't sure how he knew this, along with the fact that he knew that Usagi herself and things around her weren't quiet but instead bursting with life, but somehow he did.

"Help would be great," Usagi replied sounding relieved before placing a small kiss on his cheek. "I was trying to make curry but I think I ended up burning the brown sauce." The small blonde said sheepishly.

"I guess I can try and save the sauce," Mamoru said, shooting her a reassuring smile before washing his hands. And with that hurricane Usagi and the chaos she had brought to the kitchen began to die down.

The two cooked together in a comfortable silence and moved around one another as if they had done it over a hundred, maybe thousand times before. The fact that it felt so natural sort of scared Mamoru, but in a good way.

It wasn't long before the two finished cooking a simple vegetable curry with brown sauce and they were both settled at the table eating.

"So, what do you want to do tonight?" Usagi asked Mamoru between bites.

"Well, I did miss class today so I should probably email my professors and classmates for notes before we do anything. How about you let me do that quickly and then we'll figure it out." Mamoru said, hoping that the reassurance of the two doing something later in the evening would make her feel better.

"Oh, of course Mamo! And while you're doing that I could brainstorm. As much as I like staying in and watching tv or reading together, I think we should do something different tonight." Usagi replied as she shoveled the rest of her curry into her mouth.

The way that Usagi ate had Mamoru completely awestruck. It was clear that although she was very small and petite, the blonde really knew how to eat. Seeing as she had nearly two and a half servings of the curry the two made together.

"Dinner was good, thanks for the help Mamo," Usagi said before collecting both of their empty plates, placing a quick kiss on his cheek, and head back into the kitchen. "You wash and I dry, yeah? It's your turn so don't even grumble about it!" The blonde called from the kitchen between giggles.

And Mamoru did want to grumble about it but instead, he collected the rest of the dirty dishes off of the table and met his wife in the kitchen. Mamoru felt as if this was some sort of routine the two had gotten into and did every night. It was becoming apparent that in Usagi's mind the two did a lot of things together, almost as if they didn't like to be apart.

As Mamoru entered the kitchen, Usagi was slipping her wedding ring off and setting it on a small ring holder- another item that had appeared overnight along with a large list of others. Mamoru decided that it would be safe to do the same and mirrored his new wife's action.

They were nearly done with the dishes when Usagi reached a small hand down into Mamoru's side of the sink before flicking the warm water and a handful of bubbles at him with a giggle.

"Oh you little," Mamoru growled at her playfully before reaching his own hand into the water and flicking bubbles back at her before she took of out of the kitchen with a squeal.

Mamoru instantly hightailed after her with another handful of the soapy bubbles. He quickly caught up with her and swiftly tackled her onto the ground as gently as he could, flicking his handful of bubbles in her face once they landed on the ground together in a heap.

There was something about the sound of Usagi's voice that had Mamoru in a trance and before he knew it, his hands were at her sides and his fingers were probing her ribs.

"Ahhh, stop it Mamo, that tickles!" The blonde squealed from underneath, trying to squirm out of his grasp.

The whole situation felt oddly familiar, almost as if Mamoru was experiencing some Deja vu. It was almost if something had taken control of his body when he uttered the following words, "You know what you got to do to make it stop, _Usako_." The dark-haired man said deviously before shutting his eyes and puckering his lips, his fingers still prodding Usagi's sides.

Usagi let out another squeal of laughter before he felt her soft lips meet his own. Sure, Mamoru had kissed a few girls in the past. Hell, Usagi had kissed him a handful of times in the past day but there was something about this particular kiss that was different. It was sweet and Mamoru could tell instantly and Usagi was pouring her love out for him in it.

The kiss made Mamoru's head spin and he could hear his heartbeat in his ears and feel it beating erratically in his chest. He had read or maybe even heard somewhere that the first kiss with _the one_ was more special than one's actual first kiss, it was like the first kiss of all kisses that you shared with this person and when you experienced this particular kiss one knew immediately.

For Chiba Mamoru, this was that kiss.


	3. Of Explanations and Not So First Dates

**A/N:** Hi guys! I'm back with another chapter. I want to thank YOU ALL for your kind reviews, they really keep me going and I love to hear what you guys think. Now, If i'm going to be honest with you all, this chapter was really hard for me to write because it was a filler chapter. Hopefully I'll be able to think up something exciting for chapter 4. Anyways, thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. Like I've said in the past, I really appreciate it!

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

 **Of Explanations and Not So First Dates**

* * *

As Mamoru lay in bed that night with Usagi curled into this side, his mind was reeling. He couldn't stop thinking about the kiss they shared that night.

Call him a girl but there was something special about that kiss. Sure, Mamoru had kissed girls before. He was 24 for Kami's sake. It's just that he had never had a kiss of that caliber, even if it was just sweet, slight brush of their lips.

As the man lay in his bed with the small blonde curled into his much larger body, he really couldn't slow his mind. He really needed to figure out what was going on regarding the current predicament he was in. He also had to talk to Usagi about it.

Truthfully, the more Mamoru thought about the situation, the more painfully obvious it was that the situation could potentially be permanent.

The man was also concerned about Reika and Motoki. It was becoming painfully obvious that it wouldn't be before long that their original memories would be replaced with the altered ones containing Usagi. He really wished that there was something he could do for his friends but he knew there wasn't much he could do but be supportive.

But what really got Mamoru was the fact that none of this was happening to him. Sure, in the past 24 hours some strange unexplained things had happened to Mamoru, but nothing as dramatic compared to what Motoki and Reika were going through.

Then there was the fact that he knew small things about Usagi. He couldn't really explain how he did. It felt as if there was a small voice telling him things about her. In a way it was nice but still, it was a bit strange.

Mamoru was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard Usagi mumble in her sleep and curl in closer to him. Mamoru had considered sleeping on the couch but he figured that would only upset the woman. So, here he was, sharing a bed with the woman Mamoru could only assume was his wife.

Deciding that he was better off sleeping than thinking about everything that had happened in the past two days, Mamoru shut his eyes and wrapped his arm around Usagi, pulling her closer into his body. And as Mamoru drifted to sleep, he couldn't help but think about just how right it felt to have the small blonde curled into his side.

When Mamoru's alarm sounded off at 7:30 in the morning, Usagi let out a groan and slammed the small clock against the floor. It was becoming pretty obvious that his newfound wife was not a morning person.

Usagi moaned and stretched for a few seconds before begrudgingly trudging her tiny butt out of bed and towards the kitchen to make coffee. She was wearing another one of Mamoru's t-shirts.

And Mamoru has to embarrassingly advert his eyes as the woman in front of his stretched, one of his black shirts riding up her soft stomach.

"Usagi?" Mamoru called out as he made his way through the living room and towards the bathroom. "I'm going to take a shower," he continued, not completely sure why he told her this.

Mamoru quickly turned the shower on and let it warm up before stripping his boxers and the white t-shirt he wore to bed. As he stepped it he couldn't help but let out a groan because the water just felt so good and his muscles instantly relaxed. He stood under the water, just letting the steady stream beat down on him for at least five minutes before washing both his hair, body and adding a bit of conditioner into his hair before he was completely finished and stepped out nearly fifteen minutes later.

Leaving the bathroom after dressing in a light blue button down and a pair of dark jeans, freshly shaved, Mamoru slid onto his stool and joined Usagi at the breakfast bar.

"Morning Mamo," the blonde said to him with a bright smile on her angelic face.

Mamoru took a big swig of his coffee before picking up the paper and mumbling a 'good morning' back to her.

"Think I need to start running again." Mamoru said mostly to himself. Not really expecting a response back, he was quite surprised when he heard Usagi hum in agreement.

"You want to go out for dinner tonight?" The blonde asked after a few minutes of silence. "We only really have this weekend before summer break is over and it might be awhile before we have time to go out."

"Uh well actually Usagi," Mamoru began nervously. "I think we have a few things to talk about tonight."

It was really now or never. The longer he hid things from his new wife, the longer he would be stuck in this predicament. Not that he hated Usagi or anything, he barely even knew the woman. The whole situation was weird and just two days ago he was telling Reika and Motoki that he wasn't ready for a girlfriend, much less a wife. Not that there was anything wrong with being married to Usagi.

"Oh! Of course, though if I'm honest with you, I'm not really in the mood for cooking tonight. So after we talk we can go out, right?" The woman asked, her sapphire eyes getting large. And there really was something about Usagi's eyes that Mamoru just couldn't bear saying 'no' to the petite blonde.

"Of course, anything you want." The ebony-haired man said as he nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "Anyways, I have to get to class and probably won't be home until well after five." Mamoru said, taking a look at his watch.

Usagi simply nodded her head before placing a chaste kiss on Mamoru's cheek and handing him his school bag. And with that Mamoru was out the door and on his way to class at Tokyo U.

* * *

The former Tsukino Usagi wasn't sure what was up with her newly found husband. If she was honest, she wasn't really sure what was going on in general. Just two days ago she was sitting with Makoto, Minako, Ami, and Rei in Makoto's bakery/ flower shop laughing. And then next thing she knew, she woke up in a strange bed with strange memories.

If she was being honest with herself though, she thought she was handling the situation very well. Any normal person would have a melt down if they woke up with a handful of new memories but not Tsukino Usagi. She had been through too much in her 21 years of life to freak out.

She had just graduated Uni this past spring with a degree in elementary education. And this year was her first year of teaching. Previously she had been working with Makoto at her shop. But now Tsukino Usagi was being thrust into the real world and it almost seemed as if reality would come crumbling down on her.

The young woman knew she had to talk to somebody about the situation. Somebody that wouldn't judge her and there was only one friend that care to Usagi's mind.

Aino Minako.

"But _Mianko_ , this has to be a dream." Usagi hissed across the table at her blonde twin.

"Well Usa, you do know about some of the wacky stuff Mako sells in her bakery. You did say that's where Mamoru's friends got the cake from, right?" The red-ribboned blonde asked, her voice unusually serious.

"Yeah, I guess so. But i just thought that all of those were fake," Of course Minako would be the one to suggest something so propoterous.

"I couldn't tell you if they work for sure or not, I've never bought any of the weird things Mako sells in her bakery. So I guess we can't really be for sure if they have anything to do with what's going on with you. We do however have to find a way to get to the bottom of this situation," Minako replies thoughtfully.

"I just don't know what to do, Mina," Usagi cried out before letting her head drop into her hands. "I woke up with all these memories of myself and this man. And I know things I shouldn't know. _And I have to go along_ with it so he doesn't get suspicious."

"I'm not really sure what you should do, Usa. But if I am honest with you, I'm glad that you're not with that asshat Seiya anymore." The red-ribboned blonde said, giving her best friend a pointed look.

Minako's previous statement did get Usagi's mind reeling.

"Actually Mina," The bunned blonde began, the gears in her head whirling. "If my new memories are true, I met Mamoru here in this cafe- before Makoto bought it, when you and I were in high school and he was a second year Uni student. And we started dating almost immediately. Meaning, I never dated Seiya?"

"Oh Usa, don't go all genius on me, you sound like Ami." Then Minako paused, a distant look in her bright blue eyes. "Wait Usagi, now that you say that I remember you being with that Mamoru guy in high school." Minako shut her eyes tight and rubbed her hands over her temples. "But I also remember that asshat Seiya.. It's so weird."

"Mina, are you okay?" Usagi asked, concerned and reached out towards her twin.

Minako quickly rubbed her eyes and then shot Usagi a bright smile. "Let's not talk about all of this right now, Usa. But I think we need to talk to Ami about this."

Usagi groaned but she knew that she would have to talk to her genius friend about the situation eventually. "Tomorrow, after I talk to Mamoru." Usagi said and then gave her friend a tight hug and leaving Makoto's bakery/ flower shop combo.

* * *

As Usagi entered her childhood home, her mother Tsukino Ikuko immediately wrapped the blonde in a hug and planted a wet kiss on her forehead.

"Ah Usagi, it's been too long. You really need to stop by and see your father and I more often," Ikuko scolded as she ushered her only daughter into her kitchen.

"Yeah, I know Mama. Things have just been really hectic lately. My last day being at Mako's bakery last week and all the lesson planning. I'm actually going in this weekend to decorate my classroom," the blonde beamed up at her mother brightly.

"Mmmm, that's really nice Usagi, I'm really proud of you. Oh! And how is my handsome son in-law doing?" The motherly woman asked as she pushed a cup of tea towards Usagi.

"Oh," Usagi said, quite surprised that her mother had memories of Mamoru. "Mamo's fine, Mama. He's in class right now. Only has one semester left before he begins his internship."

"A smart one, that one. I'm glad you found a man as good as him, Usagi." Ikuko said with a small smile on her face.

The mother and daughter sat and chatted for nearly two hours before Ikuko sent Usagi out of the house saying something about her and her father having Shingo and his girlfriend over.

"I would invite you and Mamoru, dear. But you know how your brother gets and this is our first time meeting his girlfriend. You need to visit more, anyways, love you!" The woman said quickly as she shoved her daughter out of her front door and placed a wet kiss on her cheek before the door slammed shut.

The trip back to Mamoru's flat wasn't a long walk. Usagi actually found it quite refreshing. She was worried about her friends and family. Whatever was going on was obviously altering their memories and the thought of it made Usagi frown.

She really had to talk to not only Mamoru but also Ami about the situation to see what her blue-haired friend had to say or could even do. And as much as she didn't want to, she knew she would have to speak to Rei about it eventually.

As much as Usagi loved Hino Rei, the priestess was quite the spitfire and sometimes her personality slightly terrified Usagi.

Checking her watch and seeing it was only a little past 3:30, Usagi decided to take a slight detour and stop for a snack. After all, she did have a huge stomach. She thought back to the look on Mamoru's face last night as she ate nearly three servings of the curry they had for dinner and couldn't help but giggle to herself and she piled sweets into the small shopping basket at the convenience store.

* * *

It was about 4:45 when Mamoru arrived home to the sight of Usagi stuffing her face as she watched some shojo anime.

The woman had maybe four or five pocky hanging out of her mouth and he couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of it. Usagi quickly shoved the Pocky into her mouth before giving Mamoru a bright smile and a small peck on the cheek.

"You wanted to talk?" The blonde asked her dark-haired husband.

If Mamoru was honest, he was nervous about the whole situation. He wasn't sure how Usagi would react seeing as it seemed that she held every memory the two had ever made and he didn't know anything about their relationship, let alone her.

"Erm yeah, actually." Mamoru called back to her as he went into the kitchen to prepare a fresh pot of coffee.

"Listen Usagi," Mamoru started as he took a seat next to her on their large sectional. "I know we're married-"

"For almost two years now," Usagi said quickly, cutting Mamoru off.

"Uh yes, for almost two years. And what I'm about to tell you is probably going to sound crazy and will no doubt upset you but I can't keep going on without telling you," Mamoru continued a soft look in his eyes.

"' _Oh my god, he's going to tell me that he cheated on me. Shit, I wouldn't even know what I would do in that situation.'"_ Usagi said to herself in a slightly panicked voice.

"Uh, that's not quite it Usagi." Mamoru said to her warily and Usagi couldn't help but let out a small gasp, realizing that she had said that aloud.

Slightly embarrassed, Usagi decided to keep quiet and let Mamoru explain to her just exactly what was going on in his head. And after he finished telling her whatever it is he had to tell her, she would come clean about what she talked to Minako about earlier in the day.

"Right, well like you pointed out, we've been married for two years. The thing is that I don't remember ever getting married. I remember coming home for my birthday, celebrating it with Reika and Motoki and then going to bed." Mamoru couldn't bring himself to meet eyes with the beautiful woman sitting next to him, thought he didn't know her very well, he was sure that seeing her upset would destroy him.

"And then I woke up and you were there," he continued, slowly raising his dark blue eyes to meet her sapphire ones.

Her reaction was not expected though. "Oh thank god," Usagi breathed out. She felt almost as if a giant weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Seeing as she wasn't the only one stuck in the situation, he also was too.

From there Usagi began to explain to Mamoru what exactly had happened to her and Mamoru explained what had happened to him. By the end of it all, the two were laughing at the predicament they were in.

"Wait," Mamoru said between hearty laughs. "So you're telling me that you have all these memories of you and I and you can't help but act like my wife? While I'm over here blubbering like a fish on land? Oh that is so totally not fair, _Usako."_

"I-I-I can't help it!" The blonde exclaimed. "I just woke up and I knew I was in your bed and that you were my husband. I don't know how to explain it but it all felt so natural, it's like my body wouldn't let me freak out!"

* * *

Chiba Mamoru couldn't help but chuckle at the sight in front of him. Usagi was seated across from him, shoving yakitori after yakitori into her mouth.

"So you're really not upset that I don't remember anything?" Mamoru asked once Usagi finished the skewer she was working on.

"I mean not really. It is a bit strange to wake up in a bed next to a man you've never met before and have all these memories but I don't think I'm upset. And if I'm honest with you, I would move out if I could but I don't really have any place to go…" Usagi said trailing off nervously.

"Wait what? No Usako! You can't leave," Mamoru exclaimed hoping that she would say. He wasn't sure what had just came over him, but the thought of Usagi leaving made his heart constrict painfully.

"Are you sure? I mean I don't want to cause you any trouble." The blonde said between bites.

"We go on dates," Mamoru simply said, eliciting a confused expression from Usagi. "To get to know one another while we figure things out," the ebony-haired man suggested.

"So I guess you could say this is our not so first date?" Usagi asked, and Mamoru nodded vigorously.

"Because Mamo," the blonde continued, a devious look in her beautiful sapphire eyes. "Our actual first date was soooo much better. But I guess this is okay too."

At this revelation Mamoru instantly paled, reminding himself that Usagi in fact held every memory of everything the two had ever done together.

The man instantly began trying to conjure up some kind of response. His hand flying to the back of his neck, a nervous habit he had always had. But before he was able to choke anything out he was interrupted by the beautiful blonde's laughter.

"Really, it's okay Mamo. This is a perfectly fine not so first date. Besides, we were both younger when we went out on our actual first date." The bunned blonde said before shooting her husband a reassuring smile.

"Though if I'm being completely honest with you, I expect you to go all out on our two year anniversary next month," the blonde added before winking at the dark-haired man across from her.

"So," Mamor began before looking over at Usagi. "Would you like to get some ice cream?" He asked hopefully. After hearing that their actual first date, the one that he had no recollection of was more spectacular than the one they currently were on, Mamoru decided he would do everything in his power to make this a great not so first date for Usagi.

Usagi narrowed her sapphire eyes at him and place both hands on either of her hips. "Are you really asking me that question Chiba Mamoru?" She asked incredulously.

A nervous chuckle instantly bubbled out from between Mamoru's lips. Something in the back of his mind told him that Usagi loved ice cream. But he could in fact be wrong.

The man was quickly pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of Usagi's melodic laughter. "Oh my gosh, I really got you there!" The woman gasped out between giggles.

"Of course I want ice cream, Mamo!" The blonde finally exclaimed, bouncing around the man like a child.

Mamoru couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief and then offered his much larger hand to Usagi. And with that, the two were off. Walking hand and hand towards Usagi's favourite ice cream shop.


	4. Of Falling and Revelations

**A/N:** Wow, it's really been awhile! I want to apologize for such the long wait. I've been really busy lately and I intended to have this out last weekend but that just didn't happen. Mainly because I went to a concert (which by the way, if you haven't heard of _boygenius_ , you should check them out, they are great and three of the most talented women I have ever seen!) So I was in a big city most of the weekend and before that I was working eight days in a row. And if I am honest, getting the motivation to write while working three days in a row is really hard.

Also, this chapter was super difficult for me to write. And I only skimmed it over three times before posting it, so if any of you see anything that needs to be fixed or doesn't seem right, let me know and I'll go back and correct it. That happened last chapter and I really appreciate the thing being pointed out (Don't worry I fixed it promptly!)

Anyways, I totally plan to have chapter five finished by the end of this weekend so hopefully two updates within a week. Which is what you guys get for waiting nearly three weeks! I want to thank you all for your follows and reviews! And I want to thank you all for waiting so long for this update, it was really hard to get out but I finally did it! Anyways, enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

 **Of Falling and Revelations**

* * *

Usagi teetered perilously on the makeshift tower she had created. The blonde knew as soon as she climbed up on it and it started to lightly quake that it was not a good idea. But she had her eyes set on something. And as soon as Usagi had her eyes set on something she was going to get it.

Though it wasn't until Usagi's knees were placed firmly on the stool that it began to violently shake. She quickly reached up to brace herself on the top of the highest cabinet in Mamoru's kitchen.

Knuckles turning white, Usagi knew that she was going to be stuck in the spot she was currently in for quite some time. Seeing as everytime she moved, the tower consisting of two swivel chairs as the base, one of the stools from the breakfast nook placed atop of the chairs and three of Mamoru's old textbooks from his undergrad days on top of the stool. It was safe to say that it would be a matter of time before Usagi fell.

"Oh I knew this was a bad idea but I can't believe Mamo hid my snacks on me," the blonde muttered to herself angrily.

Usagi wasn't sure how long she clung to the top of the cabinet, trying to keep the haphazardous tower from teetering more than it already was. It wasn't until Usagi heard the front door open, which scared her because Mamoru wasn't supposed to be home until well after five and it was barely past four that Usagi fell.

And thank Kami-sama that Mamoru's apartment had an open floor plan otherwise the ebony-haired man wouldn't have been able to see the sight in front of him and catch the blonde as she fell.

"Usako!" Mamoru shouted before dashing towards the kitchen and positioning his body just in time so she would land on him.

The two layed on the kitchen floor for quite some time. Mamoru unable to move due to the fact the Usagi was on top of him and he had the wind knocked out of him when the small blonde landed on top of him. And Usagi not moving because she was just too scared to move.

"Mamo, you scared me!" Usagi shouted before pushing herself off the dark-haired man. "I didn't think you were supposed to be home until past five today."

"Usagi, can you tell me why you were standing on top of that…" He paused before glancing over at the tower she had created. "Death trap?"

The blonde rolled her eyes. She knew that Mamoru would duck her question and probably lecture her instead. In the two weeks that the two have been together, Mamoru had lectured Usagi on countless things.

Usagi giggled at the thought of being lectured. She couldn't even count all of the times he had lectured her in the two years they had been married. Let alone the nearly six years they had been together. If he wasn't studying to be a doctor, Mamoru could definitely be a professor, he lectured that much.

Usagi knew early on that Mamoru had found a lot of her behaviours reckless. Though, she only knew that because she had memories of the strange phenomena that was their marriage.

The blonde simply rolled her eyes when Mamoru gave her a pointed look, still awaiting an answer to his question.

"Ha, er well you see.." She began, inching herself closer to the ebony-haired man. "Well, I lost something and I just had to get it back. Nothing really important Mamo," she continued on, hoping to win the man over.

"Yeah, that doesn't really answer my question Usako. You were lucky that I came home when I did, otherwise you could've broken a bone or something." Mamoru said before grabbing the stool off the floor and placing it back where it belonged.

"You know Usa, you could help me clean up the mess that _you_ made," the man said before grabbing one of the textbooks and setting it on the counter. "But really Usagi, you still haven't answered my question," Mamoru paused, glancing at her.

At Usagi's unusual silence, the dark-haired man softened his gaze and wrapped his arms around the bunned blonde.

"It's just that I worry about you, Usagi. That's all there is to it. I don't like seeing you in dangerous situations. Though, it seems that you're good at getting yourself into them." Mamoru whispered into her ear before letting out a small chuckle and letting her go.

"Now help me clean up this mess and I'll give you the candy I hid," he continued with a wink.

* * *

It took exactly two weeks before Mamoru was almost completely infatuated with the bunned blonde that was now his wife. Sure, the situation was strange but it almost felt natural. Not that Mamoru would admit that outloud. Afterall, it wasn't to long ago that he was telling both Motoki and Reika that he wasn't ready for any sort of relationship whatsoever.

Mamoru had learned a lot about Usagi in the two weeks since she appeared in his bed. There was something about her that he was drawn to.

The more important thing was that he was currently scouring for any sort of explanation what had happened to both him and Usagi. And so far, he wasn't coming up with anything. Neither was Usagi's friend, Mizuno Ami.

The two had been hitting the books and searching the web for the past week and a half. Emailing one another about leads, though they had not found anything useful yet. Everything the two had found lead to dead end after dead end. If Mamoru was honest with himself, it was quite frustrating.

In the past week summer break had ended for Usagi. Meaning that she had began her first year of teaching at a local elementary school. It was pretty clear that she loved her job and Mamoru was happy for her. Though it would be nice if she was able to help out or add some sort of insight to their situation. After all, the more that Mamoru and Ami knew about the situation at hand, the better.

The more that Mamoru looked at the situation and just how Usagi was handling it all, it was painfully clear that Usagi was slowly accepting the situation. But maybe that was Mamoru over analyzing things.

Since walking in on Usagi recklessly hanging from the cabinet earlier in the evening, Mamoru had been watching the clumsy blonde like a hawk. Well, as best as he could as he tried his best to finish up assignments. He really couldn't help it, for the past week it seemed like Mamoru had been walking in on her doing something she hadn't put much thought into. Mamoru had figured out pretty quickly that Usagi did pretty much anything her heart desired. He was just scared to see her hurt herself.

He wasn't sure that it was the doctor in him- Well, doctor-to-be that was. Or the fact that he simply cared about her. Mamoru was never the best at figuring out his feelings.

"Oh hey Mamo! Whatcha doing right now?" Usagi sung as she bounded into his office.

"Just homework, Usako. By the way, have you talked to Ami lately?" He asked, hoping that the answer would be yes.

"Well, we text back in forth everyday and she came over to each lunch with me in my classroom Monday… Why?"

"Just wondering, she hasn't emailed me back in a few days so I thought that I'd ask you," Mamoru said with a shrug before turning his attention back to the assignment he was currently working on.

"You know Mamoru, you sure have been acting weird tonight," Usagi began before stepping farther into his office and putting her face right up in his, a quizzical look in her sapphire eyes.

"I mean we've barely spoken since you came home," she continued on before checking the time on Mamoru's desktop. "And that was nearly 5 hours ago. You've just been holed up in this office. And we haven't even eaten dinner, it's almost 9:30, Mamo!"

"Well Usa, I did come home early because I thought that I would be more productive at home. Besides, it was a good thing that I did come home or you would have cracked your head open. Who knows how long you would've been clinging to that cabinet with those little mouse hands of yours." Mamoru replied, a hint a playfulness in his voice. If there was anything the two were excelled in, it was playful banter.

Usagi just shot him a grim look. She knew that he was right, of course. But if she was being completely honest with herself, she was getting hungry and she knew that cooking was completely out of the question. Mamoru had banned her from cooking anything that couldn't be cooked in the microwave after the curry incident.

Upon seeing the incredibly cute pout on Usagi's face, Mamoru couldn't help but cave. "I'll tell you what Usako. Let me finish this assignment and then we can go get a late dinner. How does that sound?" He asked before giving her a small poke in the side.

Usagi let out a small cheer, satisfied with Mamoru's offer before pressing a kiss to his cheek and leaving him to finish whatever he was working on.

* * *

"But we just had American food last night, Usako!" Mamoru exclaimed before pulling a clean black tee over his head.

"Okay, but we had burgers and fries. American cuisine has soooo much more to offer than that," Usagi argued back as she went through the closet looking for her favourite denim jacket that her friend Rei hated so much.

"I could so totally go for some Hawaiian pizza right now," the thought of the pizza promptly made her mouth water and Usagi sent a silent thank you to Minako for introducing the pie to her.

"Really Usa, you got to choose last night. It's only fair if it's my turn to decide where we're going to eat. We can always order your pizza in this weekend. And I don't want to be out too late. I have an exam tomorrow and it's already close to 10:30,"

"Fine, you win. But I'm totally holding you accountable to ordering in this weekend. Oh! We should totally have Reika and Motoki over this weekend, I bet Motoki would love Hawaiian pizza as much as I do." She said, a thoughtful look flashing across her serene face.

"Great idea Usako, can we go and get something to eat?" Mamoru asked as he tried to stubley usher Usagi towards the front door.

"Yeah, yeah I guess," Usagi grumbled before pulling a pair of shoes on.

The restaurant Mamoru had in mind wasn't even two blocks away from their apartment. As good as pizza sounded, sushi sounded even better. And if Mamoru was completely honest with himself, he wanted to be in bed as soon as possible. So a sushi bar was a quick and ideal place to eat.

"You know," Usagi said between mouthfuls of food. "I think sushi was actually a good idea Mamo. But if I'm honest, I'm getting really tired."

The two were currently seated in a small booth situated next to a window at the sushi bar not too far from Mamoru's apartment.

"Me too Usa, that's why I chose this place. It's not too far away." the man started before taking a roll for himself.

"Actually Usa, I had a question for you," Mamoru continued. He figured that as long as they were living with one another, he may was well learn more about her. Not that he didn't already know things.

Mamoru didn't want to admit it, but he was kind of jealous that Usagi ended up with memories and he was left in the dark. The blonde knew so much about him, things he had never told anybody, not even Motoki, who had been his best friend since middle school.

She had memories of how they met, their first date, all of the fights they had ever had in an alternate timeline that supposedly happened that Mamoru had no recollection of. She had the most intimate memories and she seemed to be handling everything so well. And Mamoru, well he still had no idea what to think after two weeks.

"Your memories, are they changing like Reika and Motoki's?" Mamoru decided to ask, he'd ask what he really wanted to on the walk home. Something about the night sky and the lights of Tokyo at night sometimes made things more intimate.

Usagi looked up at Mamoru, her sapphire eyes shining. She quickly swallowed her mouthful of rice. If she was honest, she hadn't thought much about her old life since waking up in Mamoru's bed, with a head full of new memories and experiences.

"I uhhh. Well, when I woke up in your- no, our bed. I just had all of these memories, all of these experiences and when I thought about certain things you were just there. I don't know how to explain it. Like when I think about Mako's bakery, I not only have memories of hanging out there in high school and university before Mako bought it, I also remember meeting you there so vividly. Sometimes it's like I'm there… again and it's kind of overwhelming," Usagi began, a thoughtful look on her face.

"But but then I think about _before_ and things are kind of fuzzy. I talked to Minako about things after they all happened… And I think I remember talking about an old boyfriend but the thing is, I don't remember anybody before you. Because well, there was nobody and it confuses me. And now it's strange because Minako doesn't remember the conversation going that way," the blonde continued, a pained look on her face.

"Mamo, I-I don't feel good, can we please go home?" Usagi asked before taking a drink of water.

Usagi's explanation was all Mamoru needed. He had gotten his answers, Usagi's memories were indeed slowly, but surely morphing. The thought scared Mamoru for many reasons and he knew he needed to talk to Ami about the situation. And quickly before not only Usagi but all of Ami's memories morphed. And when that happened, things would become pretty hopeless.

Mamoru left 2500 yen on the table before helping Usagi out of the booth. He'd get to learn about her some other time. After all, the two did have all of the time in the world to get to learn one another. It's not like their situation would change anytime in the near future. Even if Mamoru did not want to admit that to himself. It was something Usagi had already come to terms with, even if he did not know that.

The two made it home fairly quickly. Mamoru promptly helped Usagi into one of his shirts before tucking her into bed and placing a kiss on her temple. He really needed to study and do more research but that could wait until tomorrow.

Mamoru climbed into the bed next to Usagi and pulled her small frame into his. "Let me know if you still don't feel well in the morning and we'll figure something out," Mamoru whispered gently and Usagi only half nodded and it wasn't long until the two were asleep.

* * *

 _Mamoru looked down before adjusting a black bowtie. It stood out against the crisp white shirt he wore. He looked to his right and Motoki stood next to him, wearing a pair of dress slacks, a pair of suspenders over a crisp white shirt, identical to Mamoru's. Motoki's light blue bowtie was slightly crooked._

" _You're going to want this. I was told to tell you that you have to be out there in five minutes," was all Motoki said before tossing an overcoat at Mamoru._

Mamoru blinked and before he knew it, he was standing in front of a crowd.

 _Mamoru raked his hands through his hair before checking his breast pocket for what seemed like the fiftieth time. And sure enough, he felt the weight of whatever was in his pocket. He was nervous, he was sure about that._

 _The ebony-haired man was in the process of checking his cufflinks before two heavy doors opened and the procession began. His heartbeat sped up and Mamoru swore he couldn't breathe. It wasn't long before Motoki was standing next to him four young women were standing opposite to Mamoru, Motoki, and three other men. Who Mamoru assumed were groomsmen perhaps. He really had to think hard to remember their names. He knew one of them was Shingo, Usagi's younger brother. The other two, Mamoru couldn't quite remember._

 _And then it was the moment he had been waiting for but he hadn't known he was waiting for it. IT was almost as if he had been waiting for this moment his whole life._

 _The most beautiful blonde haired women walked down the aisle on the arm of a man Mamoru could only assume was Tsukino Kenji. How Mamoru knew that, he wasn't sure but he just did._

 _It wasn't long before the blonde was standing across from Mamoru. Kenji muttered something Mamoru couldn't quite remember in his ear before placing slightly lifting the veil covering the woman's face and placing a kiss on her cheek._

 _Oh how Mamoru wanted to lift that veil so bad to reveal just who was underneath it, he knew it would be the most beautiful women he set eyes on._

 _The ceremony was only what Mamoru could guess was beautiful and it wasn't until long he retrieved the items from the pocket he was checking earlier. They were rings and they were very familiar though, Mamoru couldn't quite place where he had seen them before._

 _The blonde slid the ring on Mamoru's finger and the weight was comforting and welcomed. Almost as if he had felt it before._

 _As Mamoru grabbed the blonde's dainty hand, the ceremony he had been going through, everything up until this moment had sounded muffled, as if everything said had been said under water. As soon as he began to slide the ring on her finger, he was his with memories he couldn't quite remember. The woman in front of him, her face becoming as clear as day._

 _Mamoru meeting her during his first year of university at the bakery not too far from where he lived. Taking her to see the cherry blossoms. Their first kiss, under the stars. Her 18th birthday and proposing to her on that exact day._

" _You may now kiss the bride," The man standing behind them said, pulling Mamoru out of his thoughts._

 _And all Mamoru could think about was lifting the veil and kissing the daylights out of the woman in front of him. And as he lifted the veil, he was right, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever set eyes on._

 _Her sapphire eyes were shining with tears of joys and she had the biggest grin on her face. Mamoru gently took her face between his hands, pulling her closer to him. And as she gazed at him waiting for him to kiss her, the love shining in her blue eyes was so intense that Mamoru didn't know what to do with himself._

 _So he did the only thing that he could do, he kissed her, and the crowd cheered. And if Mamoru was honest, he didn't think he'd be able to go on without the woman in front of him._

 _The kiss was sweet, but yet passionate. And Mamoru poured all of the love he felt for the blonde in front of him into it. It was mind blowing and it was the most perfect kiss to begin their life together._

 _And when Mamoru pulled away he rested his forehead upon hers._

" _Usako,"_

" _Everybody, I introduce to you for the first time Chiba Mamoru and Usagi!"_


	5. Of Not so Dirty Dreams and A Quick Snog

**A/N:** Hello all! I am back! Sorry about how long this took. I meant to get it out a lot sooner but some personal/ family things came up. Anyways, I hope that everybody in America had a good Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving weekend. I didn't really do anything special besides the fact that I actually cooked most of the meal for my family. It was fun!

I am starting chapter six as I post this and hope to have it out as soon as possible. Though, I don't know when that will be due to the fact that I am in the process of helping my father move and I'm also going to a concert next week. But no worries, you guys shouldn't have to wait more than two weeks.

I also want to thank everybody that followed, favourited, and reviewed this story! It really means a lot to me. Only a few more chapters left until it is done. You guys really are the best and I appreciate every each one of you. I'm already brainstorming my next story as I type this. Anyways, I'll stop blabbering on. I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

 **Of Not So Dirty Dreams and A Quick Snog**

* * *

Mamoru woke up gasping and sputtering. He quickly opened his eyes only to discover Usagi looming over him, gently shaking his shoulders. Her long blonde hair pooled on each side of both of them, acting as a curtain.

The dream was still fresh in Mamoru's mind and he couldn't quite wrap his head around it. Something about it seemed so real. It felt almost as if he had experienced the moment before and he just didn't remember it. The thought of it all was overwhelming and he really needed to collect his thoughts.

"Mamo? Are you okay? You were tossing around a lot and I thought you were going to kick me off the bed by accident," Usagi finally spoke once Mamoru was fully awake. Her sleep filled voice was laced with concern.

"Usako- I.." He didn't know what to say. He couldn't form the words to describe what he had just experienced.

"What is it Mamo? You can tell me," Usagi pressed. Her sapphire eyes bright even in the darkness of the room.

He could tell her, he knew that he could. The thing was that he didn't know _what_ to tell her, or even where to begin describing the dream. He was just so overwhelmed he wasn't sure what to do.

"I uh, I think I need some water," he finally gasped out and Usagi promptly moved off of him. She was no longer hovering over him. Instead she pushed herself out of bed and headed out of the bedroom and toward the kitchen.

Within minutes Usagi returned with a glass of water, a cool damp rag, and a worried look etched on her beautiful face.

"You don't look too well, Mamoru," the blonde said before resting a hand against his forehead.

"I'm fine Usa, just need a drink. Besides, it's me who should be worried about you. After all, you were the one that didn't feel too well after dinner," Mamoru said, hoping that he reassured her in some sort of way.

He didn't so much feel sick as he did shaken. Something about the dream or whatever it was had stirred something inside of him though he wasn't sure what. He knew he'd be fine once he calmed down.

Usagi looked away sheepishly at Mamoru's past remark. It was true that she wasn't feeling too well earlier in the evening, but once she slept it off she was fine. In fact, she felt perfectly normal at the moment.

"I'm fine Mamo, really. I'm more worried about you than myself at the moment. What were you dreaming about that made you act so oddly in your sleep?" The blonde asked curiously.

"It's uh.. I uh.." Mamoru began sheepishly.

Usagi's eyes went wide at Mamoru's embarrassment. "You had a sex dream didn't you?" The blonde accused, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly.

"A sex drea- WHAT NO! Of course not Usagi, where did you get that from?" Mamoru roared incredulously and pushed himself up into a sitting position before holding his hands out in front of himself defensively.

"You don't have to lie to me Mamo! I'm your wife after all! Anyways, who was it about? Some hot American actress or something?" The woman giggled and waggled her blonde brow suggestively.

"Usako! No, it wasn't like that I swear," Mamoru exclaimed, his face turning bright red with embarrassment at the accusation.

"I mean if you say sooo," Usagi sung before scooting herself closer to the ebony-haired man.

Mamoru sighed and hung his head until he was cradling it in his hands. "Usa, I'm telling you, it was _not_ a sex dream. Please trust me on that," Mamoru sighed, his voice a bit muffled.

"It's okay Mamoru, really I'm not mad. I promise," Usagi said before placing a small hand on his back and rubbing comforting circles.

She really did have the whole wife thing down for the most part. Maybe Mamoru had to accept that. Not that it was bad living with Usagi. She had started off as a complete stranger but there was something about her that didn't make her seem like one. Mamoru still wasn't able to pinpoint exactly what that was.

"The truth is Usa, I had a dream that.. Well, how do I say this?" Mamoru began nervously. "I dreamt about our wedding, and it seemed so real. It was like I was reliving the moment. It was truly overwhelming." The dark-haired man finally admitted.

And as soon as the words were out of Mamoru's mouth, Usagi's eyes softened. She understood all too well just what Mamoru was going through.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Usagi asked, hoping that Mamoru would indeed say yes.

And he did say yes. Of course he wanted to talk about it. He needed answers and even if Usagi couldn't supply the answers that he absolutely needed, she would be able to tell him if the dream he had was a dream or if it was an actual memory.

"What was our wedding like, Usa? I know that I've never asked and I probably should've over a week ago but- I don't know why I didn't but please Usako, tell me what it was like. I have to know if this was just a dream or a memory," Mamoru eventually said, his voice filled with something that Usagi couldn't quite place.

So Usagi told him what it was like, down to the last detail. They had gotten married almost two years ago, at the end of September. And as Usagi described their wedding, it matched almost exactly what he saw in his dream. It didn't take long for both Usagi and Mamoru to figure out that he had been reliving a memory of sorts.

After sitting in silence for what seemed like forever, Mamoru wrapped Usagi into a hug and pressed his nose into her hair, inhaling her sweet scent. "I'm glad that it wasn't just a dream Usa, really," he said before pulling her down with him and drifting back off to sleep.

* * *

Not too soon after Mamoru awoke from his dream that was actually in fact a memory, he decided it was probably a good idea to get to know one Chiba Usagi better. She was after all, his wife.

Though he couldn't help but wonder if he would've eventually ran into the strange but beautiful blonde if they weren't in their current predicament.

He let out a sigh before placing his pen down on his desk. He had been scouring the internet to find some sort of explanation as to what both him and Usagi were going through. But alas, he still had not come up with anything. He couldn't help but let out a sigh of dissatisfaction.

The ebony-haired man pushed his chair away from his desk before stretching and heading towards the kitchen. He needed a break and a quick lunch would be the perfect distraction.

Mamoru opened the fridge, looking for something he could make quickly before noticing a pink bento box that sat on the second shelf. Usagi's lunch.

It was early Friday afternoon and Usagi was in school. He wondered perhaps if she would like it if he brought her lunch. Considering that she had forgotten her own and knowing one Chiba Usagi, Mamoru knew that the blonde would probably die of starvation before the day ended. Deciding to be spontaneous for once in his life, Mamoru set out to bring Usagi lunch.

It was an oddly cool day for the beginning of September but Mamoru didn't mind, it made the walk to the elementary school Usagi taught at all the more enjoyable.

Deciding that the bento alone wouldn't be enough for Usagi, considering her appetite, Mamoru stopped at a bakery to pick up a few sweet buns and something to drink.

As he stepped into the small bakery two oddly familiar women stood at the front chatting. One was a tall brunette woman with kind green eyes. She was stocking the display case with fresh goods while her counterpart leaned against the counter, waving her hands around dramatically- obviously in mid-story.

The other woman reminded Mamoru of Usagi. Like the brunette she was also quite familiar. She had blonde hair much like Usagi's though it was a slightly darker shade and she wore it down and adorned it with a red ribbon. Mamoru wished that he could place where he had encountered these two women before but unfortunately could not.

At the sound of the bell, both woman whipped their heads towards Mamoru, turning their attention away from their conversation and on him.

"Oh, it's Mamoru," the blonde said in a bored tone.

"Oh, hey Mamoru, nice to see you," the burnette blushed before resuming her current task at hand.

"Er, hi guys," Mamoru said unsurely before uprooting himself from his spot near the entrance and heading towards the register.

"Bringing lunch to Usagi today?" The brown-haired woman asked before giving a suggestive eyebrow waggle. "You should've called ahead and I would've whipped you two up one of my famous bentos."

"Yeah, something like that. Thanks for the offer but I think I have it covered. I'll keep it in mind for next time," Mamoru said awkwardly, clearly nervous.

"Wow _Mamo_ that's so cute, Usa is totally going to love that. Oh my gosh Makoto, remember when Mamoru used to bring Usagi the cutest bentos when she was in high school? _Soooo_ cute," the blonde gushed. Which promptly earned her a sharp elbow in the side courtesy of Makoto.

"Ha sorry about Minako here, you know how she gets. So what can I help you with today, Mamoru?" Makoto chuckled before shooting Minako what could only be perceived as a death glare.

Mamoru wanted to ask the two women how they knew him and who they were. But hearing them talk about Usagi so fondly as if they were old friends, he deducted that they were probably close friends of hers.

"Er right, I was just thinking about some sweet buns. You know the ones with chocolate in the middle? Usagi loves those," the dark-haired man asked, moving his finger in a swirling motion whilst describing the pastry.

"I actually have a fresh batch cooling in the back right now, I'll even throw in a few extra goodies for free," Makoto said before throwing a playful wink at Mamoru and heading towards the back of the bakery.

While waiting, Mamoru headed towards the bakery's cold case where various beverages and chilled desserts were kept. He did want to get himself and Usagi a chilled juice or tea to drink with their lunch, and it would save him an extra trip to the convenience store. So, Mamoru decided on a strawberry milk for Usagi and a bottle of green tea for himself.

As he headed back towards the register, Makoto came out from the back with a small box. Wanting to get to Usagi's school rather quickly, Mamoru hastily put down a couple thousand yen and told Makoto to keep the change before rushing out of the bakery.

* * *

Usagi sat in her classroom munching on some half-stale bamboo shoots she had found discarded in one of her desk drawers while her students were away at lunch. She had mistakenly forgotten her lunch in the fridge this morning. And as much as she wanted to call Mamoru and ask him to bring it to her, she knew that he was busy and didn't want to disturb him.

"Looks like you guys will have to do for now," Usagi said sadly whilst rolling the bamboo shoot candy between her forefinger and thumb before popping it into her mouth.

"Talking to your food again huh Chiba?" A smooth voice asked from the doorway.

Usagi let out a large sigh before letting her head drop to her desk in a clatter. She was in no mood to deal with the man currently standing in her doorway. Maybe, just maybe if she pretended that she was dead or something he would get the hint and leave.

But alas, Usagi knew her pitiful efforts had failed when she heard his footsteps as he made his way across the room.

"You know _Tsukino,_ you really are something else," the man said, his breath hot against the back of Usagi's neck.

The feeling of his hot breath against her neck made her feel dirty. Though she wasn't sure why because she had done absolutely nothing wrong.

"Yeah, and I'm pretty sure this is sexual harassment," Usagi finally said before sitting upright. Her goal was to sound bold though it was clear that her plan had failed as her voice held a slight quiver.

"A-and my last name is Chiba. So if you could see your was out Mr. Kou, that would be appreciated."

"I see how it is, playing hard to get huh _,"_

"No, I think she was asking out to leave," an all too familiar voice came from the door.

At the sound of his voice, Usagi flew out of her chair, straight past Kou Seiya and into Mamoru's arms.

"Mamo- I,"

"Is everything okay here, Usako?" Mamoru asked, a hard steely look in his eyes.

"I was just asking Mrs. Chiba here if she would like to join me for lunch. Though it appears she has other plans," Usagi's dark-haired co-worker, Seiya said cooly. "I was just leaving as you showed up," he continued before looking both Mamoru and Usagi up and down.

"Usagi, it really was a pleasure to finally meet your husband. I'll see you around," and with that he was gone.

As soon as he exited the classroom, Usagi let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding in.

"Mamoru- I," the blonde exhaled before melting into Mamoru's arms. He held her for what seemed like forever and if Usagi was honest with herself, she didn't ever want to leave his arms.

"Not that I'm not happy that you're here. But what are you doing here, Mamo?" Usagi asked once the two pulled apart.

"Well, er you see," Mamoru began clearly nervous. "I guess I just wanted to see you," he continued, rubbing the back of his neck before flashing a smile.

The sight of Mamoru's smile made Usagi's breath hitch in her throat. Although she had seen it many times before, of the few weeks the two had been together since she woke up in his bed, this was the first time she had seen it outside of a memory.

"And I brought you lunch!" The ebony-haired man added before grabbing Usagi's hand and leading her towards her desk.

"Oh thank Kami-sama," Usagi let out a sigh and Mamoru just quirked an eyebrow at her in response. "I thought I was going to have to survive off of stale bamboo shoots. Didn't think I was going to be able to make it through the day," the blonde continued on dramatically.

"Dramatic as always, Usako," Mamoru said as he unpacked the lunch he had brought for the two of them and placed Usagi's bento in front of her.

"Oh Mamo, it's so cute!" Usagi exclaimed as she removed the top of the bento box, revealing the food that Mamoru had prepared.

"It's really not much, really Usako," Mamoru said before turning away, obviously a bit embarrassed.

Usagi couldn't help but giggle at the blush spreading across Mamoru's face. If anything it was cute. "No really Mamo, I'm serious. You should make my lunch everyday,"

"Just eat, Usako," Mamoru said before handing her utensils to eat with.

"Well, thank you for this, really Mamo. It means a lot to me. We should do this more often," Usagi said before shoveling a spoonful of rice into her mouth. Her sapphire eyes shining with something Mamoru couldn't quite place.

"You know, the only thing that would've made this better was if I had something to drink," Usagi said halfway through the meal.

"Lucky for you I stopped and grabbed drinks and dessert," Mamoru said, a small smirk playing across his face as he produced the beverages and desserts he had bought at Makoto's bakery.

"You really do think of everything don't you Mamo?" Usagi asked, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

Though, all good things have to come to an end some point and it wasn't before until Usagi's students would return to the classroom signalling an end to her lunch.

"Thank you for bringing lunch Mamo, I really appreciate it," Usagi said as she walked Mamoru to her classroom door.

"Anything for you, Usako," he replied. His deep blue eyes staring into her sapphire ones with an intensity that Usagi had never seen in this life.

"Right, well I hate to rush you out Mamo, but my students will be back an moment. I'll see you when I get home," Usagi finally said before raising herself on her tiptoes and placing a kiss on Mamoru's cheek.

And to Usagi's surprise, her lips didn't catch Mamoru's cheek. Instead they landed on his lips. And Usagi could have sworn in that moment that she was melting.

Sure, Usagi had memories of kissing Mamoru. And sure she had placed quick chaste kisses on his lips in the past few weeks. But he had never kissed her back or initiated kissing of any sort. And here he was, actually kissing Usagi back.

The kiss was slow and sweet. There was some an intensity behind it that frightened Usagi a bit but as the kiss came to an end all too quickly, Usagi found herself craving more.

"I'll see you when you get home, yeah?" Mamoru asked once the two pulled apart.

Usagi couldn't do anything but stand frozen, rooted to the spot she was currently standing in. She nodded dumbly at him and before she knew it, he was gone. Only turning back to give her a small wave before leaving her classroom entirely.

* * *

Mamoru wasn't entirely sure what had overcame him when he kissed Usagi in her classroom. Maybe it was the idea of somebody Usagi worked with, another teacher at the school openly had a thing for her. Or maybe it had to do with the dream/ memory he had last night.

Whatever it was, Mamoru knew that he couldn't get the blonde off his mind. He was drawn to her. Almost as if she was meant to be with him. Like she was the missing puzzle piece he had been looking for all of his life.

He shook the idea of that out of his head and stored it away somewhere deep in his mind. He really didn't have time to be thinking things like this.

He had far more important things to worry about. Not that Usagi wasn't important. It was the opposite of that. Usagi was really important. And it was for her that Mamoru wanted to figure the conundrum they were in out.

Yes, Mamoru wanted answers but Usagi did too. And there was something about her that drove Mamoru. He wanted to find answers but not for himself, for Usagi.

At this point, finding out what had caused the situation not only him and Usagi but also their friends and family were going through had become more important than school work. Which was odd because all of Mamoru's life he had focused on nothing but school.

The dark-haired man let out a sigh as he began his journey back to his apartment. _Their_ apartment. And he couldn't get a certain blonde odango'ed woman off of his mind. Especially after that kiss.


	6. Of Internal Conflict and Reassurance

**A/N:** Oh boy! Guys I really want to apologize for not updating in so long! With finals, my dad moving, holidays, my computer crashing and work I really did not have a lot of time to write at all! But I'm back and I won't be making you all wait for another update for over a month and a half.

I really want to thank you all for being so patient and bearing with me. Anyways, thank you all for being so great. Thanks for all of your favourites, follows and reviews. It means the world to me!

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

 **Of Internal Conflict and Reassurance**

* * *

Mamoru awoke with a gasp and instantly felt the small hands on his right shoulder gently shaking him. He slowly raised his head, blinking the sleep out of his eyes. The first thing he noticed was how sore his neck and back were, the second thing or person was one Chiba Usagi.

"Oh! You're awake, I'm so glad. I'm really sorry to wake you Mamo," she apologized, her bright blue eyes shining with something Mamoru couldn't quite place.

Mamoru rolled his neck, attempting to chase away the soreness. Falling asleep hunched over a desk using thick books as pillows probably wasn't the best idea. Mamoru figured that he must've fallen asleep somewhere between studying for his upcoming organic chemistry exam and researching 'magic'. Not that Mamoru believed in magic.

"It's no problem, Usako," he replied softly before pushing the chair away from the desk and stretching his long legs. "So, have any exciting plans for us tonight?" Mamoru asked with a quirked black eyebrow.

"Oh well, that's actually what I wanted to talk to you about," Usagi said with a blush. "So you know how we were talking about having Motoki and Reika over the other night? Well, I thought that perhaps it would be a good idea to have the girls over too. You see, with everything that has been going on I haven't had a lot of time to see them. Only if you're okay with them coming over though, this is, after all, your apartment," Usagi rushed out nervously.

Mamoru couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his lips. He figured that if the two of them were married, which they were- he had done some digging and found that their marriage was in fact legitimate. Since Mamoru and Usagi were married, the apartment wasn't technically his, it was also Chiba Usagi's. 'What yours is mine' mumbo-jumbo Mamoru guessed.

"Go ahead and invite them over, Usako. I'll go shower quickly and give Motoki and Reika a call. It's about time we had a bit of fun," Mamoru said before strolling out of the door before turning and giving the blonde a playful wink.

Usagi couldn't help the excitement that was building inside of her. Sure she had met with a few of the girls a handful of times over the past few weeks but it seemed like forever since they all had gotten together.

The blonde was actually pretty nervous when she had entered the small bedroom that had been converted into a study. She wasn't sure what Mamoru was going to say about having her four friends over.

Sure Usagi had 'memories' of her and Mamoru together. But the thing was that she couldn't think about a particular moment and summon it, which was due to the fact that she had not lived these memories.

Usagi's memories were usually triggered by similar experiences. Like the time she and Mamoru went on their not so first date. Going on the date triggered Usagi to remember what their first date had actually been like. Besides triggering the occasional 'memory' the only 'memory' that Usagi was able to think about clearly was their wedding day. Why this was, the blonde was not sure.

The longer that Usagi lived with Mamoru though, the more she learned about him or remembered what he was like. It was clear from the get-go that Mamoru was not a very sociable man. He had his close friends- Motoki and Reika for example but besides the two of them, Usagi wasn't able to recall anybody else from her memory.

There were a few hazy memories that the girls often appeared in, though they had not yet been fully triggered.

Usagi figured that since Mamoru enjoyed being alone with well, his books, that he wouldn't like the idea of Usagi bringing her friends around. Though she was thoroughly surprised when he shrugged it off, acting as if Usagi bringing her friends around was the most normal thing in the world. And maybe it was.

As Mamoru retreated towards the bathroom, she quickly called each of the girls and invited them over. She figured that Mamoru would want time to actually shower and get around and seeing as the time was currently 5:30, she figured that giving him an hour or so would be enough time and told each of the girls to come between 6:30 and 7.

Not even fifteen minutes later, Usagi dragged herself from the couch to answer a knock on the door. She opened it to reveal an Aino Minako holding a bottle of wine in each of her hands.

"Usagi! It's soooo good to see you! I'm so glad that you invited us all over, it's been ages since I saw both you and Mamoru!" The other blonde cheered before moving past Usagi into the genkan and removing her shoes.

"It's great to see you too," Usagi greeted as she took a bottle of wine from Minako and headed towards the kitchen. "But really Minako, I said to come between 6:30 and 7," she said as her darker blonde friend trailed behind her and into the kitchen.

"Oh I know, but I was in the area so I just had to come by now. I really hope you don't mind Usa," Minako replied playfully with a suggestive waggle of her eyebrows. It was now more clear than ever as to just why exactly Aino Minako had been in the area.

* * *

By the time Mamoru was done in the bathroom all of Usagi's friends were situated in the living room. Mamoru groaned as he walked past the group of women, only a towel slung low around his hips.

As he passed Usagi, she shot him an apologetic look and mouthed an apology to him. Mamoru quickly rushed into his shared bedroom and shut the door, trying to ignore the giggle of the women out in his living room.

He quickly worked on dressing himself before giving Motoki a ring. The phone call between the two men was fairly quick. It basically consisted of Mamoru inviting Motoki and his wife Reika over and well, that was it. The two, of course, were coming seeing as they were Mamoru's closest friends.

"You guys made him uncomfortable," Usagi hissed at the girls in what was a fairly loud whisper.

A brunette let out a giggle before replying. "That's the fun in it all, Usa. Why do you think we always come over so early? Because this happens every single time. It's fun to watch Mamoru squirm,"

"Besides, that husband of yours has a pretty fantastic body, Usa. You can't blame us for wanting to take a look," the blonde with a red ribbon in her hair giggled, swiftly earning her a playful slap on the shoulder by the blue-haired woman sitting next to her.

"You guys are so evil, we should just leave poor Mamoru alone," the blue-haired woman who Mamoru recognized as Mizuno Ami said.

"But yet, you're also here forty-five minutes early, Ami," another voice said, drawing Mamoru's eyes to her. She had dark hair and was situated between the red-ribboned blonde and the brown-haired girl.

There was something familiar about the dark-haired woman with violet eyes besides the fact that she was Usagi's friend though Mamoru was unable to pinpoint what it was.

The dark haired man was quickly pulled out of his thoughts to the sound of knocking on his front door. He swiftly made his way to it, Usagi appearing by his side.

He opened the door revealing Motoki and Reika. Reika immediately pulled him into a hug and pressed a kiss on his cheek before doing the same to his wife.

"Ah, it's been a while since the whole gang has been here," Motoki observed as he removed his shoes in the genkan and made his way toward the living room.

"You're right about that love," Reika said as she followed her husband. "It's really great to see the two of you," she added with a wink, abandoning Usagi and Mamoru in the genkan.

Mamoru began to make his way back into the flat but was stopped by Usagi who was tugging on his sleeve. He swiftly turned to face her.

It was at this moment Mamoru realized just how small his blonde wife was compared to him. He stood nearly a foot taller than her at 5 foot 9 inches, easily towering over her not even five-foot frame.

"I'm really sorry about earlier, Mamo. I told them to come over at 6:30 but they were all here before 6. Sorry if it made you uncomfortable," the blonde said, looking up at him.

"It's no problem, really Usako," he replied before dropping a chaste kiss to her forehead.

He then brought his hand up to cup her cheek and stared into her sparkling sapphire orbs, suddenly overwhelmed by the urge to kiss her. Instead, he dragged his hand down her cheek and wrapped his finger through a strand of her golden hair that framed her face.

Usagi, sucked her lower lip into her mouth, hoping, praying that the man standing in front of her would kiss her. The conflict was clear in his deep blue eyes. Deciding to take action, she quickly pushed herself up on her tiptoes and placed a chaste kiss on his full pink lips before pulling away.

She wanted more, she did. She wanted so much more from the man that was her husband but knew deep down that she couldn't have it. She began to open her mouth to tell him that it was okay for him to want her, because she too wanted him, even if they were thrown together into the crazy situation.

Thought before she even got the chance, she was pulled out of her dreamlike trance by a soft noise of someone clearing their voice. She peeked around Mamoru to find Ami standing in the hallway that connected the genkan to the living room.

Her blue-haired friend was giving her a sad knowing look.

Usagi quickly placed a kiss on Mamoru's cheek before grabbing his hand and dragging him out towards the living room behind Ami.

* * *

Mamoru was conflicted for the rest of the night. He was conflicted by a lot of things. One of them being his encounter with Usagi in the genkan, among other more pressing matters.

It was clear that all of their friend's memories had been altered. They all remember Usagi and Mamoru as married. This deeply troubled Mamoru for many reasons though he did not wish to delve into these reasons until he was alone and had a clear head. And right now, Chiba Mamoru did not have a clear head. Being in the same room as one Chiba Usagi made his head foggy.

"Hey, remember the time I tried to set you up with Rei?" Motoki said in a low voice giving Mamoru a gentle but sharp jab in the ribs, pulling him out of his thoughts.

Mamoru sputtered at the thought of Motoki trying to set him up with Hino Rei. Mamoru obviously did not remember Motoki trying to set him up with Rei but decided to play it off and just nodded his head absentmindedly.

"You totally don't remember!" The man accused and narrowed his green eyes.

Mamoru dumbly blinked at his blonde friend and looked towards Reika for help. The only help the woman offered was a giggle.

"It was right before you met Usagi, actually. Or maybe a bit after you met her. I don't exactly remember the details," Motoki recalled, trying to think back on the event.

"Anyways, not important. But you so totally wouldn't bite even though she's one hundred percent your type," Motoki continued before shooting Mamoru a sly grin.

Mamoru just quicked an amused brow at his friend before glancing over at Usagi and then at Rei before settling his eyes back on Usagi.

Yes, Rei was a beautiful woman and was very captivating to look at but Mamoru knew for a fact that she was not his type.

"And what exactly do you mean by 'my type'?" Mamoru said to Motoki, quickly becoming amused by the conversation.

"Stunning, witty, smart, graceful, and with a bit of a bite," Motoki replied before settling himself back on the couch.

Mamoru let out a bark of laughter. He didn't really think he had a type, though when he did think back on the few dates he had been on in the past it really made sense. He decided not to tell his blonde friend this though.

"And you're saying that my wife is graceful?" Mamoru mused before smirking at his green-eyed friend.

"Well, that was before you met Usagi, obviously," Motoki replied before furrowing his blonde eyebrows. "Usagi is… Well, she's something else and I think you got lucky there man. She's perfect for you and I don't think there's anybody else you could be with," Motoki replied thoughtfully before patting Mamoru on the arm and retreating towards the kitchen to refill his wine glass.

Mamoru thought about what Motoki said and zeroed his eyes on Usagi who was situated on the floor with her friends. He didn't want to think too deep into what his friends said but let a hopeful thought push its way into his brain.

What if she is the perfect one for me? The one to free me from all of this loneliness?

* * *

"I think that it's time for some 'Crazy Uno' but with even more of a twist!" Usagi exclaimed excitedly before clapping her hands together and heading towards the kitchen for shot glasses, the three decks of _Uno_ cards and some hard liquor.

When she returned back everybody but Mamoru was sitting in a circle, anticipating the rules of the game.

Before she began explaining the extra twist, Ami nervously looked down at her watch before exclaiming, "Okay, but one round Usa, I have to volunteer at the hospital tomorrow."

"And you know I have to open the bakery bright and early," Makoto added.

"I'm going to have to agree with Ami and Mako on this one, Usa," Rei added apologetically.

"I think they're right Usako, one round. I also have to be at the hospital early tomorrow and Motoki has to open up the arcade," he said apologetically before sitting next to her and dropping a kiss on her temple.

"You guys really are no fun," Minako pouted.

"No, Mina it's really okay. I had plans with Shingo tomorrow anyways," Usagi replied before beginning to deal the cards. "You all know how _Crazy Uno_ works right? Well, it's basically that, except for every card you draw you have to take a shot," Usagi explained.

"But if you end up drawing more than three cards, it's a shot for every three cards you draw," she added. And with that chaos erupted.

 _Crazy Uno_ was indeed a crazy game but Mamoru decided that he liked it. Regular _Uno_ was quite boring but this, this was actually something Mamoru would play again, it really was a good idea on his wife's part.

By the end of the game, all of the girls minus Ami were tipsy, the blue-haired girl having played the game very strategically. Though as it was approaching midnight, the blue-haired medical student decided that it was probably a good time to get the girls home.

Luckily Ami had driven her car over and was able to get all of the other girls home safe. Motoki had ended up taking a few shots but Reika had managed to get through the whole game not having taken any. The friends bid their goodbyes leaving Usagi and Mamoru alone.

"I really had a fun night, Mamo," Usagi said softly as she began helping Mamoru clean up.

"Me too," Mamoru agreed before gently hip checking Usagi. The blonde narrowed her eyes at him and jutted her hip out, hitting him a bit harder than he had hit her.

"You really don't want to play this game against me, Usako," Mamoru said in a low playful voice before stalking towards her.

"But I really think I do!" Usagi squealed before dashing off towards the kitchen giggling, only pausing momentarily to blow a raspberry at him.

Mamoru slowly stalked into the kitchen and towards his wife before grabbing her waist and pulling her flush against him.

"Are you sure you want to play this game against me, Usako?" He whispered in her ear before prodding a finger into her ticklish side, making her squirm against him and shriek.

It was then he noticed just how close the two of them were for the second time that night. Usagi spun around in his arms and looked up at him, her bright blue eyes shining with expectation.

Hit bit his lower lip in conflict. He wanted to kiss her, he really did. And it wasn't like he would be doing anything wrong if he did kiss her. After all, they had kissed a few times before aside from the chaste kisses Usagi placed on his lips multiple times a day.

Hell, kissing her even felt right. His body and his heart urged him to. His mind even did, but then when he stopped and thought about it, he just didn't know if he could.

He sucked in a breath as Usagi wound her arms around his neck and brought his head down to meet hers, his forehead now resting against hers.

"It's okay if you do it, Mamoru," she whispered, her breath fanning across his face.

"I-I- It's just that I-," he stuttered out but was silenced by her soft lips ever so lightly fluttering against his own.

"You're thinking too much into it, just let it happen," she said softly against his lips, her eyes still closed.

He swallowed heavily and closed his eyes. "It's just I'm scared," he whispered. And it was the truth he was scared.

He was scared because he was falling for her so fast. He was scared because he had never been in love before. He was scared because what if she left. He was scared of being alone again and without her.

She seemed to understand because she affectionately rubbed her small nose against his. "It's okay to be scared because I'm scared too," she said softly.

And on that final note, Mamoru pushed his thoughts away and firmly pressed his lips against his Usagi's.


End file.
